Different
by Tohru
Summary: Toru breaks up the usual bickering, but today something is different.
1. Confession

Toru clapped her tiny hands triumphantly before brushing a stray lock of chestnut that escaped her blue ribbons from her face. A good morning. She peered out the window as the eggs sizzled in the pan beneath her, letting the cool sunrise wash over her above the crowded forest. It was a perfect, beautiful day.  
  
"WHAT WAS THAT, YOU SHITTY MOUSE?!"  
  
Well, almost perfect. Toru turned around and gazed through the open door, amazed that their incessant fighting could still evoke feelings of surprise in her. It was common and familiar... which made her happier? Having such routine in her life, or grasping to the thin, baseless hope that one day Kyo and Yuki might put aside thier differences and become friends? She could hope for nothing more than for them to love her. Asking them to love each other was more than impossible. A happy, tired sigh escaped her. Familiarity.  
  
"You heard me," Yuki recited his part calmly, reading the thin newspaper he grasped. He looked bored. His knuckles, however, were white. Toru quickly grabbed the perfectly shaped riceballs she had prepared, shuffling through the door and between the two with a bright grin as she held up the platter.  
  
"Good morning! Would either of you like riceballs with your breakfast?" Kyo was frozen in his angered stance, just about to pounce for the kill, looking confused per usual. Their daily ritual. Her daily interference. But, this time, neither of them spoke. Silence shook the room, wracking Toru as she stood with the riceballs. Kyo's stance relaxed and he looked away, an unusual sweat glistening on his tan skin. Are they mad at ... me? It felt as though ice had settled on the room, and the mere second had multiplied into what felt like hours as Toru contemplated her guilt. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you both were so upset. Please forgive me." Swiftly, she set the riceballs on the table and ran back into the kitchen. The kitchen: her sanctuary. Recipe for perfection. It was the part of the house that she could maintain and control... anything she could do to make them happy. Them. Them... burning. Something was burning. Toru burst into tears when she realized the eggs were burning. She ran over, turning off the stove as a tear dripped into the pan and dissipated with a sharp sizzle. I am so stupid. How could I be so stupid? How could I let this food go to waste? How could I be stupid enough to disturb Yuki and Kyo and then burn their breakfast? "I'm so stupid..."  
  
"Maybe," a deep voice chimed in from behind her. She spun around, another tear finding its way down her cheek before she could stop it.  
  
"Kyo."  
  
He stepped closer, his gaze cast downwards. Something was different. Closer. Very different. She looked up, her eyes questioning his yellowish cat-like hues. Before Toru could understand what was happening, a strong hand had brushed a stray tear from her pale cheek. "Kyo..." she repeated, confused at his gentle behavior. Suddenly he turned away, his fiery hair obscuring his eyes. Toru stood still in sweet silence, unsure of what to do before her eyes fell on a deep gash in Kyo's arm. Marred. Would leave a scar. "Kyo!" Toru cried for the third time, instinctively reaching out to brush the wound with her fingertips.  
  
Kyo flinched. It was like soaking in lukewarm water. Healing. Still, he said nothing. Toru grabbed a towel from the rack, running it under lukewarm water. "What happened? Did Yuki do this to you?"  
  
He flushed. Lukewarm, the unexpected feeling of a moist towel against his skin sent goosebumps tingling through him. "No." Her brow furled as she wiped the cut carefully, her left hand grabbing his as she held the towel with her right.  
  
"No? Then how did you get this? And where is Yuki?"  
  
Kyo felt her hand in his and shivered. The gentle morning breeze from the kitchen ruffled her hair. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, soaking in his warmth. The towel had fallen to the floor, and everything felt slow like honey. A small pattering of rain attacked the house as they stood there in the kitchen, smelling the wind, feeling and breathing and the small figure leaning helplessly.  
  
"You buy extra milk for me."  
  
Nothing happened. "You like milk, don't you?"  
  
Kyo turned, Toru's cheek brushing against his skin as he moved back to her, leaning down so quickly her breath was stolen as he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. Another tear coursed down her cheek as she kissed him, longing to pull him close to her. His hand slowly ran down her arm, sticky with emotion. The kiss lasted. Innocent, pure, first. So enmeshed in this moment, this fantasy of sharp desire and tears from a dream that could never come true, even in the sweet twilight afterglow instead of the angry raincloud that enveloped the house. As Kyo pulled away from her lips, it felt as though he was leaving himself behind. He paused, still heartsick with sensory overload, and put a sweaty hand to his forehead. A single tear fell from him, landing on Toru's shoulder as she stared up at him with her big, innocent blue eyes. It soaked into her white shirt, and he closed his eyes.  
  
"I love you." 


	2. What happened

(Just in case some of you are confused, this is a FLASHBACK to the night before the previous chapter, which kind of explains Kyo's strange behavior.)  
  
  
  
Flashback.  
  
Kyo paused, hesitating outside of Akito's room. Now or never.  
  
It was a crisp fall night, the smell of rain permeating the main Souma house. The pale leaves blew at Kyo's feet when he walked down the street here. They touched him, the wind pushing him away in frustration as he defiantly moved towards the looming gate. It was curious as to why Akito would call Kyo to talk. Akito hated Kyo... if only for the fact that he was the cursed Juunishi. If only for the fact that he could be ugly. He stepped in, a cold gust of air hitting him like ice. It was expected in Akito's room... everything was reeking of coldness and hate. "Akito."  
  
A ruffling noise came from the corner of the room, near the window. It was him... spiteful, slick, and seemingly diminutive in the large, open room. It was a strange power that this pale, thin man held over the Souma clan. A mystery and enigma. A painful boy. His voice was slippery, edging towards pathetic, brimming full of falseness. "Kyo. You came."  
  
Kyo rolled his eyes, moving towards the center of the room and taking a seat on the floor. "What do you want with me?" he asked abruptly, annoyance tinging his rough voice. A bundle of loose kimono shifted slightly as the figure stood up in the dark corner of the room. Kyo's eyes followed him warily, sitting up and alert with a nasty expression smeared over his face.  
  
"I want to know something..." he trailed off, his icy eyes locking with Kyo's as he stopped in front of him. Downright creepy, as the ghostly figure hovered over him.  
  
"What is it then?" Kyo snapped impatiently, his heart pounding in anticipation and frustration.  
  
"Toru... I don't want her living with Shigure anymore."  
  
"And why the hell not?!" Kyo leapt up, anger vibrating from him as he stared at Akito. Akito held porcelain mug in his hand, the delicate designs dancing around the edge of the cup. Akito traced the edge of the cup with his thin finger, staring into Kyo's eyes bemusedly. Cruelty echoed all through him. Kyo stood before him, clenching his fists so hard his fingernails dug into his palms.  
  
"Do you love that stupid girl?" Akito asked, blinking. Kyo almost hissed, lurching forward to hit him but stopping inches before his pale skin. He flinched, frozen in the heat of the moment.  
  
"Don't call her stupid! If anyone's stupid, it's you!"  
  
"Well, do you or don't you, you filthy cat?" Akito asked, laughing. Kyo stared hatefully for several moments, before resigning and slumping down, turning away from Akito. There was no point. A long, empty pause filled the room.  
  
"Yes," Kyo growled, allowing Akito's power to seep through him and pull the deepest of secrets from his soul. Akito stood, wide-eyed at Kyo's revelation. No. NO. Akito screamed, slamming the porcelain against the wall. A brash shattering ensued, and Kyo spun around in shock before Akito slammed the sharp remains of the handle into his arm. Kyo yelled, his flesh split open as blood gushed down his arm and over his beads. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Kyo ran, his feline agility allowing him to flee Akito. He slammed through the door, ripping the fragile paper. He didn't look back.  
  
Kyo ran, droplets of blood flying behind him. The wind rushed against the wound, blowing, drying the dark fluid into grotesque lines down his arm. Kyo ran and didn't stop running, Akito's mocking face leering at him. The stars laughed down on him. His legs carried him to where his mind was... He could hardly believe he had let go of such a pivotal piece of information. He could hardly believe he had exposed his heart to someone so cold... to someone who had such uncompromisable power and who didn't even care that he could harbor these feelings. His arm didn't hurt. Something else did.  
  
Kyo ran to Toru's room, finding himself wildly scared for some reason he couldn't even figure out. He ran until he had reached her door, and then he stopped suddenly. He breathed heavily, each breath tangled with emotion before he slowly opened her door. His hot red eyes were relieved to discover Toru fast asleep, breathing in and out. Living, thriving, dreaming in her own world. He felt a stabbing pain to be part of it. He walked over and touched her hair. It was soft like her. A sweet, feminine scent grabbed him, and he closed his eyes. There was a smash, there was blood, and when it was all through, there was her. Forever.  
  
The next morning, Yuki woke to find a smear of blood on the bathroom sink. He knew it belonged to Kyo. As far as everything was concerned, Kyo didn't deserve her. And he told him. 


End file.
